Week 9--What next?

Which of the latest ramifications of the oil shock have you personally seen? What actions are you taking in response to these developments?

There are a number of gas stations in the area that have closed down.

The ride share parking lot at

Niwot Road

off 287 is now overflowing with cars.  The farmer that owns the field just behind it has actually partitioned off part of his space for additional drivers to park there.

I understand that several major local businesses have either cut if not stopped production.  For example, the Butterball turkey plant right in South Longmont on

Main Street

has closed.  Workers have not lost their jobs, but it is unclear when the plant will open up again.

My husband’s employer insists that individuals carpool if possible.  Certain segments of the company that can are also now coming into work only a few days a week.  My husband now bikes to work two days each week, but is doing the rest of his work through telecommuting.  He uses his laptop to complete his tasks and has two to three daily Skype conversations with his colleagues, boss, and/or the Marketing Director.  His company has pulled out of several national trade shows they typically attend to avoid the cost of travel.  A number of trade shows have actually been cancelled.

The St. Vrain Valley School District has held several emergency meetings to discuss the benefits/possibility of online coursework for certain schools and courses.  They are trying to determine whether proximity to school, type of course, or access of online resources should be the main factor in determining who should be required to attend school to learn, and who can accomplish it from home.

We have planned to not see out-of-state family now for Christmas as well as Thanksgiving.

How quickly our world has changed!...

What does this exploration have to do with English class?

Several students have raised the question of what this has to do with English class. Thank you for raising your concern about the relevance of the World Without Oil game.

The 10th grade curriculum has a large unit on evaluating a problem, exploring options, and presenting a solution. Additionally, the curriculum has units on research and presentations.

Each of these elements will be incorporated into your work surrounding this hypothetical problem next week.  As I have done with every other unit in class, your assignments will be created to meet the Colorado State and St. Vrain Valley School District's standards.

I thought that, in lieu of using the sometimes-antiquated examples the textbook provides (like the one we read about cell phones today), that you might get more out of exploring this issue.

Albeit hypothetical, it is a scenario we have faced in the past, and it is one we could face in the future.  Furthermore, it impacts all of us.

Keep thinking through this and consider its relevance.  If you have additional questions, comments, or concerns, send them my way!

Ms. Miller

Unexpected action

How will these new developments impact you personally? What changes are you seeing in the world around you do to the crisis? What actions are you taking in response?

I can't help but think of the theme we studied in Shakespeare: "Chaos results when the lawful social order is broken."

I did not anticipate violence as potential outcome to this situation.  I feel as fearful now as I did in the months following September 11, 2001!

I find myself doing everything possible to keep my son at home because the state of the world feels much less predictable than it did four weeks ago.

My husband is still biking to work and I am still endeavoring to bike and walk days I can.

We continue to purchase locally whenever possible, but admittedly we have also collected a stockpile of items we love that we fear may no longer be available if this crisis continues.

People are not as friendly as they normally are here in Longmont.  We have cancelled many of our social engagements with friends due not only to the increase in gas costs, but also because morale is so markedly low.

We’ve cancelled our Thanksgiving travel plans because there seem to be so many unknowns in the world right now…

This is neither a fun nor a positive time.  I fear for what will come next!

The idea of an oil shortage

How will an oil shortage affect me personally?


An oil shortage will impact me and my family significantly.  Everyone in our household commutes 10-20 minutes to work each day.  Collectively, we purchase seven tanks of gas every month.  If the price spiked from $2.70 - $4 / gallon, our average expense for gas would spike from $280/month to $420!  That is almost double!


Additionally, if the price of gas increases, so will the price of: 

• Travel beyond personal transportation -- so if I want to visit my family in California or friends in the Pacific Northwest, the cost will be greater (if not prohibitive)
• Everything I purchase that requires oil for manufacturing and oil for transportation will increase in price.  This would include:
• Food
• Clothing
• Medical supplies
• Supplies to improve my home
• Furthermore, my expenses would increase.  If the price of oil increased, my electric and gas bills would increase.  Because technology is reliant on oil, too, my internet and satellite bills might increase, too.

What most worries me?

I am worried...

• about how these increased expenses will force my family to compromise our quality of life including:
• the variety of food we enjoy eating
• the amount of travel we complete in a year to Denver, the local ski areas, to area campsites, and travel to California, the Pacific Northwest, the East Coast, and internationally to visit family and friends.
• that others will not modify their own lifestyles, which will keep the costs excessively high for me and for my family.
• that the increase in price will not stop at $4, but that it will climb higher

What actions am I taking in response?

Although it feels like an additional expense now, I am purchasing all of my produce from local sources at the farmer's market.

Our family has joined a CSA (Community Support Association) so our meat is local too (our poultry comes from Ft. Collins and our beef comes from Cheyenne, Wyoming).

My husband has started to bike to work.

Days that I do not work, I am attempting to travel everywhere by foot or bike.

We set our air conditioning to a higher setting, and have put up signs around our house to remind everyone to turn off lights when they leave a room.  We are also unplugging appliances that are not in use.

What can the common people do to make things better?

Some of the same actions I am taking and more given where they live and what they do.

Other options include carpooling and public transportation, and also communicating these accessible measures to friends and family.